Articles for thought

I grew up in a small town. Kids played in backyards without fences that stretched from house to house, encompassing the entire block. Neighbor’s passed the summer evening hours on porches that lined both sides of the street. In the winter, someone’s relative was employed by the borough to plow the streets, and they let gave ample warning when he’d be around (as to not need to shovel the cars out). The mail person walked his route and knew his “customers” by name.

In the area in which I now reside, fences are the norm. Neighbors seldom talk unless an annoyance occurred. The mail person drives from box to box (or just the community box), refusing to deliver mail if another vehicle is parked within 8 feet of the destination, quite often mixing up letters because it’s just another number. It’s become a “me” oriented society, rather than small “us” communities.